Colorado Gov. Jared Polis reacts to Boulder terror attack: "People should feel safe exercising their free speech"

Reaction to a terror attack in Colorado that injured 15 people has been pouring in from local and state leaders, and that includes Gov. Jared Polis. Boulder was the site of the targeted attack on a pro-Israel crowd on Sunday, and Polis calls it his hometown.  

The governor was in Denver for a bill signing event on Monday, and while he was doing that, he made sure to condemn the attack. He said that "these kinds of antisemitic acts aren't welcome in our state, in our country."

The group that was targeted has been holding walks on Boulder's Pearl Street Mall weekly, and their focus is on advocating for the release of Israeli hostages who were taken into Gaza by Hamas after their Oct. 7, 2023, attack in Israel.

Polis, who is Jewish, says he has spoken with one of the victims of Sunday's attack and wishes all of the victims a speedy recovery. Three remained in the hospital on Monday with severe burns after being attacked with Molotov cocktails by the suspect, who witnesses said was yelling anti-Israel statements. 

"That simply shouldn't occur in Colorado," Polis said. "People should feel safe in their houses of worship, they should feel safe exercising their free speech, whether that's on Pearl Street Mall or 16th Street Mall, and that's a basic value that we hold dear."

His comments followed a statement he released on Sunday night in which he said the attack was a "heinous and targeted act on the Jewish community."

"As the Jewish community reels from the recent antisemitic murders in Washington, D.C., it is unfathomable that the community is facing another antisemitic attack here in Boulder, on the eve of the holiday of Shavuot," Polis said. "Several individuals were brutally attacked while peacefully drawing attention to the plight of hostages who have been held by Hamas terrorists in Gaza for 604 days. Hate is unacceptable in our Colorado for all, and I condemn this act of terror. The suspect should be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law."

The suspect in the case, Mohamed Sabry Soliman, is set to be formally charged later this week.

The bills that the governor signed on Monday include one that aims to reduce gun theft and another that would include tougher penalties for those who steal guns.